The Box
by Sevvyn
Summary: After three hundred years, much has changed. The Magical Society of Earth relocated itself to a new world, where the Magi reign immortal and sterile, due to the effect of the world's magic on their cores. Since, they have befriended many new races, planets and people. While the Mages' delegation is making an alliance with Earth, two members of the group have a chat. Oneshot.


"Why?" she asked, staring at his face.

"I… do not know."

Her face scrunched up in thought.

"I think I might have an idea," she said after a moment. "Your ingrained goal was to find a superior race—one that was superior to your own—and ally with it, to better the chances of survival of your… 'creators'. Over time, this twisted a bit, allowing you some leeway. However, once you came across someone who could surpass you, in any area, that part of your objective was complete. The next step, logically, would be to secure the alliance. Through mutual agreement and working together, you could form this alliance, although there would be much quicker ways to go about it… Maybe this was a byproduct of your genetics trying to prove themselves?"

"No. It could not be. Emotion is not something that can be coded for by genetics—certain dispositions can be bred for, but at the time science had not developed to that point. We were created to be logical, yet controllable beings, however that obviously did not work out as planned. No, this is genuine," he replied, "and I would hope that you trust me enough to give me a chance. This has, I believe, been a long time coming. Three hundred and eighteen years, to be exact. In cryosleep, I couldn't have done anything about it."

He took a step closer to her, leaving the two standing only a foot apart. She glanced at him, warm brown meeting ice blue, and saw the guarded look he focused on her. He took a second step, bringing the two of them even closer together and paused, giving her a final chance to step away, to say no—to back away in fear, as she rightly should.

But she didn't. That foolish, weak, insignificant, _beautiful_, _intelligent,_ _powerful_ young woman stood her ground.

"What is it that you want, exactly?" She asked.

"You."  
"What do you mean, '_me'_?"

He took her left hand in his right.

"I want your body— your beautiful, wild chocolate waves of hair, as untamable as an ocean. I want your eyes, so deep and expressive that none could ever misinterpret your intentions. I want your mind—your unending curiosity and inherent understanding of the worlds around us. I want your soul. I want the emotion and passion that you put into everything that you do. I want it all. I want _you_."

"And what am I allowed to have?" she quipped, dazed. "If I give myself to you, I will have nothing left!"

He looked down at her, surprised by her question. He replied immediately, frowning.

"I would not ask anything of you that I am not willing to give in return. I will have you, and you will have me. You are all that I need… I wish to be all that you need."

"You are. Honestly, you are. I'm sorry I snapped at you. But could you have waited for a better time to tell me all of this? We were in the middle of negotiating an alliance with Starfleet when you ran off, and no one knew where you were."

"Ah, but it was necessary. I needed to retrieve something that could only be found in this world."

"What could you have possibly needed to get that was worth five days of hiding from the authorities in a world that you know to be hostile to you?"

"Well, if you would give me a moment…"

She stood, waiting as he dropped down to his knees and reached into his ever-present subspace storage pack to pull out a small, wooden box. Strange. The petite woman studied it curiously as he held it out to her, noticing the exquisite designs that were surely hand-carved. She gingerly took the box from him, as he remained kneeling, and gave him a suspicious glare. He smirked in response.

"…This isn't going to blow up in my face, is it?"

The look he gave her was decidedly unimpressed.

Smiling sheepishly, she opened the box only to gasp at its contents.

"Khan Noonien Singh! You didn't!" She looked up from the contents of the box to the man kneeling before her.

"It took only a moment to design. I did not forget how you had described it to me. The realization of that design, however unfortunately, did take a few days to occur."

"You're entirely serious?"

"I would not have gone through all of the trouble if I were not. Annoyances such as Starfleet personnel can be easily overlooked in this case. They are insignificant in comparison."

"Merlin's beard, Khan… I don't really know what to say."

"Then say yes, Hermione, if nothing else. Surely one of the all-powerful Magi can respond to a simple question?"

"I'm terribly sorry. I hadn't realized that you asked me a question—I'm quite sure that I was the only one to ask any questions today…"

"Ah, how terribly thoughtless of me." He ran a hand through his hair. "Hermione Jean Granger, will you marry me?"

"Honestly, Khan. Do you even have to ask?" she responded with a wink.

"You made me. Is that a yes?" He responded with a raised brow.

"No, it's an 'of course'."

"Ah, forgive my misunderstanding. I've not quite woken up yet." He said dryly, prompting a small giggle from his new fiancée.

He took the box from her hand and removed the contents, pulling out a beautiful chain and ring made of white platinum, with copper vines twining around the base of a ruby-and-topaz seven-pointed star. He put the ring on the chain as she turned away from him so that he could clasp it at the back of her neck. When he was done, she turned back around to face him.

"Khan?"

"Hmm?" he murmured, with a proud gleam in his eye and a hand resting at the base of her neck.

She said nothing at first; instead pulling him in for a chaste kiss on the lips. He deepened it after only a moment, and later breaking apart so that she could breathe.

Khan looked into her eyes and was taken aback at the emotions he could see running through them—contentment, passion, joy and, most importantly, an all-consuming love _just for him_. He observed for a moment, in awe. Never again would he doubt the purpose of human emotion. What he was feeling at that moment was something nearly beyond comprehension.

"You are mine." She smiled.

"No, _you_ are _mine_.

The debate of just _who_ belonged to _whom_ would continue for the rest of their immortal lives.


End file.
